There was a comfortable silence as they walked back towards the cabin hand in hand, but there was something bothering Sam.

"Am I to take an Everlife?"

That stopped him. An Everlife...she would spend forever with him. Nothing would ever kill them, they would never be parted. All this time loathing how long he lived would all be solved if she just ate one tiny flower? He warmed even more at that.

Finally happy forever. Never alone.

But then, he knew the consequences of the Everlife, and she did not.  The painstaking hours, caring for them, making them thrive, the power, the responsibility. The hunting. Being hunted.

Could he keep her hidden away in his room away from these hardships? Keep her solely to himself? Would she even want him to?

He thought long.

"We'll see."

The walk to the cabin was long, and Sam was panting horribly. Ryan seemed unfazed. Night had fallen and Ryan was glowing ever so softly, a light orange hue around him to give them just enough light.

"Ryan," Sam asked. "I...I said that I loved you. Now I must know...am I running for nothing? Or am I running for love?"

She turned to face him and the orange grew bright. He took her hand in his and pulled her tightly to him, a smile on his lips. Sam looked down at his chest and saw red beaming through his clothes, a small circle. His heart. His hear was glowing for her.

A bright red circle.

A target.

The arrows began to whiz past them.

"No, Ryan!" Sam screamed, shoving him down and doing anything she could to hide the light. She hugged him tightly and covered him before he could do anything.

"No, Sam, I'll be-"

Ryan stopped when he felt something poke him in the stomach. But he hadn't been shot. Sam backed up ever so slightly, and she looked down to her mid section at the same time.

The arrow had gone right through her. The quill was sticking out of the base of her back. The arrow tip as an inch out from her stomach.